Did you know today is Constitution Day?

Today is a beautiful day. Many people don't even KNOW that today is Constitution Day. On this day in 1787, all 12 state delegations approved the Constitution. 39 delegates signed it of the 42 that were present, and the Convention formally adjourned.

As a family, we have decided that it's time to REALLY REALLY know our Constitution and the beautiful promises and blessings that will be bestowed upon this country if we uphold and honor this document and the men who made this possible.

We have promised each other the following -

1. We will each read and learn about the Constitution

2. We will educate our family and learn about Good Government

3. Show gratitude for our liberty

4. Teach others about America

I found this quote and it gave me chills...we have a lot of work to do as parents.

"A primary object...should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing...than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?"

-George Washington

Fly an American Flag

Thought I'd share this thought I found...

On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American Flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.

Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

9-12 Personal Project Journal

Remember the way we were on September 12^th? We weren't Democrats or Republicans, we were just Americans, banded together. Flags were waving and people were coming together in the spirit of all things American. Reclaim that spirit while you chronicle your own personal 9-12 journey. Chronicle your journey through each of the 12 values from the 912 Project. This 28 page journal will feature your own notes, photos and artwork on each page. Each value page features a quote from one of our founding fathers. This journal is a Hardbound 5x5 bound book.

Do you agree with at least 7 of these 9 Principles?
Then you're a nine-twelver.

1. America is Good.
2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
   

12 Values

Honesty
Sincerity
Reverence
Moderation
Hope
Hard Work
Thrift
Courage
Humility
Personal Responsibility
Charity
Gratitude

To purchase Your 9-12 Personal Project Journal Click HERE!!!!

9-12 Project: Charity

Week 6 - Charity

Highlighting the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project

Charity has two meanings... The "Practice" of Charity and the "Virtue" Charity. Both are of great importance.

Charity is giving of one self without expecting anything in return. Giving without expectations. By giving you enabled others to prepare to give back when it is their turn. Charity can be a donation of money or worldly goods, or even the donation of one's time, talents, and example. Sharing good words, faith, and encouragement are all forms of practicing Charity. This is the practice of benevolent giving.

I also think of Faith and Hope. What would Faith and Hope be without Charity. But when I hear the word Charity, I first think of the Savior. I think of the pure love of Christ. A few years back I received an email about Charity. I don't know the source, but I thought it was beautiful...

Charity is an unlimited loving-kindness towards all others. Charity is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. In its most extreme form such love can be self-sacrificial.

Charity is comprised two parts, love of God and love of man, which includes both love of one's neighbor and one's self.

Can you imagine how the world would change if we could all strive to have Charity, the virtue, at the center of our giving?

9-12 Project: Humility

Week 5 - Humility

Highlighting the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project

Humility...is the opposite of Pride. And in my personal opinion, pride, the lack of humility, is partially to blame for the chaos, uneasiness, and disorder that is weighing on families, communities and even our nation.

To have humility we must stop comparing ourselves to others. It's absolutely impossible to be humble while putting oneself above others.

I was always taught that humility and faith go hand-in-hand. True humility comes from recognizing where our gifts, talents, and attributes come from. It's understanding and accepting that we are dependent on our Savior. Humility is not a characteristic of weakness or vulnerability or even fear. Humility is a sign of strength and character...an acceptance of God and his son, Jesus Christ. To be humble in this world, today, shows courage and strength.

"Pride leads to every other vice.... Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone"

-C.S. Lewis

9-12 Project: Thrift

Week 4 - Thrift

Highlighting the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project

Thrift: The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money) - Wikipedia.

The word "thrift" gets a bad wrap...maybe because it gets mixed up with the concept of "cheap"?? But that's not the case. Being "thrift" is about being smart. It's about being responsible. It's about living life with freedom. It's about being in control of your life, your resources, your money, your time, your energy. Thrift is about frugality, not extravagance.

Being thrifty is about being mindful with monetary expenditures, even if that sometimes means spending a little bit more. Being thrifty is about valuing what you already have, and then treating it well, and then repairing instead of replacing when necessary. Being thrifty is not about not coveting the bigger, better, brighter, shinier things in life. -Non-consumer Advocate

Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

-Haggai 1:6

9-12 Project Journals will be arriving soon!!!

9-12 Project : Hope

Week 3 - Hope

Highlighting the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project


“Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself... 'How did I get through all of that?”
-Author Unknown

Hope. Hope is believing and feeling that everything will be okay. To have hope is to have an expectation that all will be well. Many have lost hope. Look around. The idea of hope is becoming a rare commodity these days.

Lost hope in the eyes of a father who is desperate to find security for his waiting family. Lost hope in a mother's heart who tries to help her teen find their way home. Lost hope in a child who is longing for attention and love. Lost hope in the woman who waits for her life's calling. Lost hope in a generation that has become numb to the values and traditions that were practiced before them.

Hope is a value because life...quality living, cannot continue without it. Hope needs to be restored to bring back a sense of peace to our lives, our communities and our country. To hope for things is to not despair and to not give up. To hope means faith exists and where faith exists so does charity. And to embrace faith, hope and charity will ultimately bring happiness.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

Emily Dickinson

COMING SOON... 9-12 Personal Project Journal!

9-12 Project: Reverence

Week 2 - Reverence

Highlighting the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence."

-Henry David Thoreau

What is reverence? It's showing extreme honor and respect for something or someone. It's having and showing a profound love and respect.

I found this beautifully written excerpt from Robert Morneau, Spiritual Direction - Principles and Practices. Reverence has been lost in our chaotic country. Reviving this virtue is key in bringing hope and prosperity back into our communities and lives.

"Living with reverence is an everyday challenge for all of us. It is so tempting to view our relationships with others in terms of how much we can get out of them, how useful they can be to us. When in business we look only at profit margins, with little concern for people, there is no reverence there. When we overpower the people with whom we live with our words and fail to listen to them, there is a lack of reverence. When we think that what we do to our bodies and what we do with our bodies is just our own private business, we have missed out on the meaning of reverence. When we stereotype all of the poor as freeloaders or “rif-raff,” we have lost a sense of reverence. When we ignore the sanctity of the life of another human being, whether it is a child in the womb or a person on death row, the virtue of reverence is missing. When we fail to appreciate the many gifts God has given us, including the gift of this earth, there is no reverence.

To live in reverence means to view life with a particular set of eyeglasses. Reverence enables us to respect and appreciate God, other people, and ourselves. This leads us to look at another person not as someone who can be useful to me, but as someone who deserves my respect. That other person is a mystery who stands before me, one who needs to be listened to, to be honored and respected even if I disagree with him or her. To live in reverence entails a particular approach to the gift of time, neither wasting time as if it had no meaning, nor rushing from one thing to the next. Reverence enables us to recognize particular moments in life that invite special attention and stepping back, like birth, death, pain, commitment, loss, victory. Reverence moves us to reflect on our patterns of consumption: to take what we need but not to live as if the whole world belonged to us or our worth were determined by how much we own. Reverence means that we learn to respect and appreciate ourselves, our intellect, our spirits, our bodies. To live in reverence means cultivating a sense of God’s presence, an awareness that God is with me at every moment and that he comes to meet me in the ordinary circumstances of my life. Reverence gives birth to hope, because it is based on a power greater than ourselves." (See Robert Morneau, Spiritual Direction, Crossroad Publishing, 101-109).

Be sure to stay tuned in for the NEW Cherish Bound 9-12 Project Journal that will be for sale soon....beautiful 5x5 hardcover journal to help you record your experiences and thoughts as you journey through the 9-12 Project. We're almost completed with the design phase and finishing up the final touches. Should be available soon!!

9-12 Project: Honesty

For the next few weeks my Tuesday Traditions post will be replaced with lessons and ideas to help teach your family about the 12 Values from Glenn Beck's 9 Princples & 12 Values List

Week 1 - Honesty

Quote & Scripture:

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

- Thomas Jefferson

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Story:

I received this story in an email a long time ago and have hung on to in my saved files. I recently came upon it again and thought it fit perfectly in this post. I'm not sure who wrote the story, the history behind it or where it came from, but I love it!

Once upon a time, there was a Selfish Man. He liked everything to be his own. He could not share his belongings with anyone, not even his friends or the poor.

One day, the man lost thirty gold coins. He went to his friend's house and told him how he lost his gold coins. His friend was a kind man.

As his friend's daughter was coming from an errand she found thirty gold coins, when she arrived home, she told her father what she had found. The girl's father told her that the gold coins belong to his friend and he sent for him. When the selfish man arrived, he told him how his daughter had found his thirty gold coins and handed then to him.

After counting the gold coins the man said that ten of them was missing and had been taken by the girl as he had forty gold coins. He further commented that he will recover the remaining amount from him (the girl's father). But the father refused.

The man left the gold coins and went to the court and informed the judge there about what had taken place between him and the girl's father.

The judge sent for the girl and her father, and when they arrived asked the girl how many gold coins she found. She replied thirty gold coins.

The Judge that asked the selfish man how many gold coins he lost and he answered forty gold coins. The judge then told the man that the gold coins did not belong to him because the girl found thirty and not forty as he claimed to have lost and then told the girl to take the gold coins and that if anybody is looking for them he will send for the girl.

The judge told the man that if anybody reports that they have found forty gold coins he will send for him. It was then that the man confessed that he lied and that he lost thirty gold coins but the judge did not listen to him.

Object Lesson:

Have a volunteer in your family stand in the center of the room. Take some yarn and ask them to hold the end of it and then start circling around them and wrapping them in the yarn. Point out that at first the yarn is weak and loose and they could probably break free if they tried, but continue wrapping and wrapping them until they're restricted to the point of not being able to break free. Compare the yarn to lies. At first they don't seem like a problem...easy to break free and move around, but as a person begins to lie, whether big or Small, they will become trapped and bound by their own lies.

Finish of with a tasty Treat!

Thumbprints
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
Jam of your choice

Beat cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl at medium speed. Add flour and baking soda and mix well. Add chopped nuts and vanilla and chill for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Indent centers and fill each with 1 teaspoon of your favorite jam. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on wire rack. Use a variety of jams—the cookies will look beautiful on a serving plate.

Hollee Eckman and Heather Higgins, All That Jam, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2003] p. 73.)

Take the time to teach your children about honesty and make sure that you're an example of honesty too, whether you have children or not.

"Teaching children good values of honesty is just like having future good citizens of our country beholding the connotation that children are the hope of every nation. So it is a necessity for every family to teach their children good values most especially the value of honesty. But before introducing such value, it should start first with the practice of the parents as well." - Cheryl Dela Cruz

912 Project - Putting It To Work!

Over the past week, I've witnessed a new passion intensifying across this country since Glenn Beck's 912 Project launched. You can click HERE and HERE to catch my other posts... I personally connect with this movement in so many ways...because it's not about politics, Republicans, Democrats or which side you're on. Glenn encourages families, neighbors, communities to turn inward to each other, look for spiritual guidance, and serve and help those around you. I've listened to his thoughts, ideas, and truths, and they're beautifully simple and familiar.

This is Cherish Bound's mission too! Our products, tools, and workshops encourage families, friends, communities to gather together, find themselves around the kitchen table again, and share their passions and dreams through the process of story. A perfect fit to help teach and instill the principles and values of the 9-12 Project.

You know when you just know you're supposed to pursue a thought, feeling, inkling...well, I'm having that "feeling" about this entire movement and so I'm acting on it...I'm not going to ignore it. My mind has been running with 100's of ideas...so I'm going to do something about it. I want to do it for MY kids, for YOUR kids, for our communities and ultimately this Country that I love dearly.

Putting It To Work...

• Make time once a week to gather with family, neighbors, and/or friends on a weekly basis.
  
• Pick a night, morning, day, whatever works with your schedule.
• Schedule NO other activities or interruptions for that specific time every week.
• Devote this time to teaching values and principles.
  
• Talk, instruct, teach, pray, motivate, encourage, help, serve...

I will provide a themed "lesson" every week that I will post on Tuesdays, starting March 24. Lessons will focus on the 12 Values and touch on the Principles that are aligned with this project. They'll be appropriate for families with or without children, neighbors, communities, etc. Come here for your motivation, Q&A, comments, encouragement, a place to share your thoughts, ideas...Make this a standing appointment with your families, a new tradition.
Join me and let's inspire our families, strengthen our homes, and preserve our Country through Principles and Values. Leave a comment and let's me know you're IN! Tell everyone about it, invite your friends and family. Come back Tuesday to grab your first lesson and a button to put on your blog. Together we can make change!

912 Project

Maybe you saw my post on Thursday about Glenn Beck's 9 Principles and 12 Values....maybe you watched his show on Friday? I sure hope you did. Because it was an eye-opener for EVERYONE who watched. Glenn kicked off his 912 Project....an inspired movement that will create change...the change we need.

The 912 Project represents how America was on September 12, 2001. He opened our eyes to how we were September 10th, September 11th, and September 12th. Are we like the days of 9-10 with our heads in the sand? Or like 9-11 scared, angry, frightened? Or do we want to be like 9-12...when we were a united group of people standing together? We were all on the same page, promising ourselves that we would NEVER FORGET! As families, citizens, neighbors, communities, we found our way to each other without direction or without help. We did it on our own....

I believe that in order to "fix" our nation, we have to start within the home. I've always felt that way. The home is one of the most sacred places on the earth, and until we remember that, practice it and DO IT, we'll never fix a thing. Glenn's movement encourages us to start in our homes, with our neighbors and family, on our streets, churches, and in our communities. To talk. To share. To help and serve. He says, "We suggest that you start in your own homes. Talk to your family about the Values and Principles. Discuss the importance of what the Founders designed for America."

Just think what could happen if every home joined in.

I've been thinking about ways that I can teach my children the 12 values, in detail. We already sit down once a week as a family and enjoy our time together with no interruptions. It's our one time a week dedicated to enjoying each other's company and becoming closer. So starting next week, we're going to learn, teach and study each of the 12 values, one by one, week by week. If I can get my act together {sighhh-smile} I will post some ideas and ways you can teach your family about the principles and values that will help make a difference.

Visit the "Mission Statement" page to learn all about this movement, the mission and how you can join in!

"This is a non-political movement. The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the greatest nation ever created."

-Glenn Beck

Amen!

9 Principles & 12 Values - You Are Not Alone

If you're visiting my blog through a search or a link from another blog/site, WELCOME! I'm going to be starting an entire series of lessons, ideas, and resources to teach your family about the 12 Values. Visit my blog and don't forget to check out Cherish Bound as we give you the tools and to help your family!

As I buzzed around bloggy world this morning I came up on Jerri's blog "Simple Sweet Home". I was caught up by this picture...

I was intrigued and continued to read... To my surprise it was about Glenn Beck (yep, I'm a big fan) and the "movement" he is starting. I totally related to her post because we both agree that we don't like to put politics and other world issues mixed in with our blogs. That's not what I like to blog about or what I want in my blog... But this is different. As Jerri said on her blog, this is an "independent/nonpolitical project". For me, this isn't about Republicans vs. Democrats, it's about what is right. So I'm sharing...for my own personal selfish reasons.

This movement "We Surround Them" is about real principles and values. The same ones that have been lost, corrupted and ignored...probably why things are falling apart. I'm one of those people that believes you can pass as many bills as you want, put whomever you'd like in office, but unless we have principles and values in place, NOTHING WILL HELP US!!! I'm a Christian, and I believe in God...and I know that in order for "change" to happen we must go back to the sacred basics this nation was built upon.

I'm a concerned mother, wife, and American. I'm worried.

Glenn is promoting "You Are Not Alone"...we can do something. He is encouraging Americans who believe in the same basic principles to come together and work together for the sake of the country and demand that government be accountable to the people again.

He says, "If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common."

The Nine Principles

1. America is good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Along with the 9 Principles he brings the 12 values back into the light:

• Honesty
• Reverence
• Hope
• Thrift
• Humility
• Charity
• Sincerity
• Moderation
• Hard Work
• Courage
• Personal Responsibility
• Gratitude
  

Make sure you visit his site, tune into his show weekdays @ 5pm on FoxNews and get involved. And don't forget tomorrow's kickoff, Friday, March 13, You Are Not Alone Special.

We Are Not Alone...